Vital Statistics:
| Last | Change | |
| S&P futures | 3,950 | -16.50 |
| Oil (WTI) | 86.85 | -1.56 |
| 10 year government bond yield | 3.44% | |
| 30 year fixed rate mortgage | 6.12% |
Stocks are lower this morning on no real news. Bonds and MBS are down.
Retail sales rose 0.3% MOM in August, which was above expectations. Ex-vehicles they fell 0.3%. Ex-vehicles and gas, they increased 0.3%. Miscellaneous store retailers rose 1.6% MOM and 15.3% YOY. Departments stores rose 0.9%. Food and drinking places rose 1.1% MOM and 10.9% YOY.
The miscellaneous and department store numbers bode well for the back-to-school shopping season which is a good harbinger for the holiday shopping season.
We received a couple Fed reports this morning – the Empire State and Philly Fed regional reports. These reports discuss business conditions generally for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. These reports are generally not market moving however the Fed does pay attention to them. Business conditions are slowing overall, but more importantly we are seeing declines in the prices paid and prices received indices. These are more anecdotal measures of inflation, but are encouraging data points for the Fed.
Industrial production fell 0.2% in August, according to the Fed. Manufacturing production rose 0.1%. Capacity Utilization fell to 80%. So far, it doesn’t look like the Fed’s tightening has affected the manufacturing sector yet.
The labor market remains tight as well, with initial jobless claims falling to 213k. Historically, this is an extremely low number. The Fed wants to see the unemployment number tick up in order to slow down wage growth. I know that seems counter-intuitive but it will keep pressure on the Fed to keep hiking rates.
The yield curve continues to invert as the 2 year yield has been rocketing upward. 2s 10s are out to 40 basis points, and 2s 30s are out to 36 basis points. This is a recessionary indicator, and it shows the long end of the curve hanging in there while the short end rises. Note mortgage rates are still rising as mortgage backed security spreads widen. This means the difference between the market mortgage rate and a Treasury of comparable maturity is increasing.
It appears the government has averted a rail strike, which should help prevent even more supply chain issues. That would have been disastrous for the economy if it lasted for any length of time.
Filed under: Economy |
All Things in Moderation 
Total coincidence, y’all.
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the left has to choose between a welfare state and open borders. they can’t have both.
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Brent:
the left has to choose between a welfare state and open borders. they can’t have both.
If the goal is to destablize American society and destroy American culture, not only can they have both, trying to have both is an ideal strategy. And if you listen to the people on whose theories much of the D’s agenda is based, that is indeed their goal. They are pretty upfront about it.
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Sure they can, and offer everybody a universal basic income and free college. You just print however much money you need. No negative consequences to that at all!
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Worth noting:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/biden-admin-again-flying-migrants-who-cross-border-one-place-n1271211
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They’ve been doing that from the getgo. IOKIYAD.
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I am trying to understand exactly what is happening. Are these migrants entering at an authorized border crossing and seeking asylum, or are they getting caught trying to sneak across the border in the middle of nowhere, and then seeking asylum? My thoughts about them being flown to other parts of the border are dependent on the answer to that question.
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My understanding is that they cross illegally and then immediately turn themselves in and declare asylum.
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My view is that if they show up to an official border crossing and apply for asylum, they should be processed there. If they cross the border illegally in the middle of nowhere, then they should be processed at wherever it is most convenient and efficient for the US to process them. If that happens to be 370 miles from where they crossed illegally, then c’est la vie.
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Concur. I’m not sure I would make it such an obvious trolling exercise. I’d just set it up as a serious program to enable the rapid and efficient transportation of illegal immigrants to the sanctuary city of their choice. What’s the point of a sanctuary city if not to welcome illegal immigrants?
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I think that’s correct:
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“It’s just until after the midterms. Might also need you guys to do this for a bit in 2024.”
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Knock me over with a feather.
https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-fbi-charles-mcgonigal-trump-russia-grand-jury-oleg-deripaska-2022-9
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Interesting read:
“Congress can’t legislate abortion rights. Schumer and Graham are both wrong.
By John Yoo
September 15, 2022 at 2:54 p.m. EDT”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/09/15/schumer-graham-abortion-laws-unconstitutional/
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I’m not sure I agree entirely with his rationale, but I definitely agree with the conclusion…Congress has zero authority to regulate abortion either way.
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Not sure I understand Graham’s motivation in this.
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It federalizes abortion, so sets that precedent. If the GOP would do it it might be a good time to point out these proposed abortion restrictions were still just as liberal as Most European states and more liberal than others.
It suggests a willingness to have the argument? Not sure honestly:
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Go home, Martha’s Vineyard is full.
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Lol
https://babylonbee.com/news/marthas-vineyard-resident-calls-police-to-report-a-latino-in-the-neighborhood-not-operating-a-leaf-blower
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There was a meme going around of a simpsons guy replacing a “in this house we believe sign” with “under 24 hour surveillance” sign
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Yeah, what a shithole.
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She is a terrible press secretary.
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I’m going to be fine and financially I can handle it – what I pay for electricity doubled year over year. I wonder how that is affecting those that are not as blessed as I am.
That Biden seems to celebrate the economy seems not just spinning bad news but completely delusional.
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heating oil stocks are at super low levels. Gonna be harsh for the Northeast this winter.
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And I wonder how much natural gas prices will be impacted by Ukraine and the shipping of LNG to Europe.
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McWing:
That Biden seems to celebrate the economy seems not just spinning bad news but completely delusional.
Yeah, but no more mean tweets. Get some perspective, hater.
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Either they are entirely deluded inside their bubble (possible) or they just expect enough of the public is low information and gullible enough to believe everything is great generally even if their own circumstances aren’t great.
I do think most of them feel the economy only from their own perspective, so when milk going up $2 is something they might notice, they have no sense that anybody else my experience that differently. So it might seem perfectly legitimate to celebrate that gas has gone down a little bit because it suggests that better things are to come and they did their bit and of fast food costs more well people shouldn’t eat it anyway.
I think it’s delusional in the sense they are far too insulated from how the other half lives. And don’t understand living paycheck to paycheck no matter how many times they say the words.
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